Summer family movie series can entertain flock

Thursday

Jun 12, 2014 at 12:01 AMJun 12, 2014 at 12:39 PM

The kids have been out of school for a few weeks, and the thrill of video games and Nickelodeon have worn off. Siblings are starting to pick, poke and prod. Before the squabbling begins, head trouble off at the pass with two hours in a cool, dark theater or under an evening sky, with a trip to one of a variety of family movie series taking place throughout central Ohio.

Terry Mikesell, The Columbus Dispatch

The kids have been out of school for a few weeks, and the thrill of video games and Nickelodeon have worn off.

Siblings are starting to pick, poke and prod. Before the squabbling begins, head trouble off at the pass with two hours in a cool, dark theater or under an evening sky, with a trip to one of a variety of family movie series taking place throughout central Ohio.

The majority of the films should be familiar to children and have a PG or G rating.

Still, parents of the smallest fry need to be aware of what’s playing. Two films — Bottle Rocket, next Thursday at the Wexner Center drive-in, and Alien, Aug. 15-16 at COSI Columbus, carry R ratings. (Neither series is specifically billed as a children’s series but contain movies that might be of interest to older children.) Others films are rated PG-13. And some grown-ups might be surprised that the 1975 shark feast Jaws (July 25, North Market drive-in) carries a mere PG rating.

But for the most part, children will be entertained and maybe blissfully quiet.

For a frazzled parent, that alone might be worth the price of admission.

• Saturday, Monday and Wednesday: Mary Poppins (G); June 21, 23 and 25: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (G); June 28, 30 and July 2: Shrek (PG); 1:30 p.m. July 4-6, 7 p.m. July 7 and 1:30 p.m. July 9: The Princess Bride (PG); July 12, 14 and 16: Stuart Little (PG); July 19, 21 and 23: The Neverending Story (PG); July 26, 28 and 30: Where the Wild Things Are (PG)